Planning Your 2026 Brain Awareness Week Activities

Each year, neuroscientists from around the world celebrate Brain Awareness Week (BAW) by creating events and initiatives to encourage their communities to learn more about their brains.

This year, Brain Awareness Week takes place from March 16–22. Plan an event to engage with your students, families, and community.

Looking for inspiration? Check out these activities:

Grade K-5 Activities 

• Brain and Nervous System: Introduce students to their nervous system with this short video and activity sheet.
• Two Eyes Are Better Than One: Check out these optical illusions and encourage your students to wonder why having two eyes is better for our brain.
• How to Do a Science Fair Project: Learn how you can help your students design a science fair project about the brain.

Grade 6-8 Activities 

• Neuroscience Haikus: Have students choose topics from the BrainFacts book to inspire their own neuroscience-themed poetry.
• Brain States Word Jumble: Our brains change from asleep, to awake, to relaxed, and more in a day. Test your students’ knowledge of brain states.
• How Do People Become Neuroscientists?  Encourage students to explore the “who” behind neuroscience by learning about becoming a neuroscientist.  

Grade 9-12 Activities 

• Depicting How Drugs Alter Brain Reward Pathways: This online interactive demonstrates common drug effects on the brain using cartoon mice.
• Sketch Your Neuroscience Notes: Explore BrainFacts, select a topic of interest, dive deeper, then doodle about what you’ve learned.
• Decoding the Teenage Brain (in 3 charts): Explore the unique qualities of the teenage brain with students through neuroscience.

More Great Resources: 

• Dana Foundation BAW Resources: The Dana Foundation has a list of creative activities and lesson plans for BAW, as well as tips and tricks for successful science outreach events.
• Exploratorium: This San Francisco-based science museum adapts activities and experiments for classroom use, with topics across the science spectrum.
• Neuroscience For Kids: Check out this activity page from the University of Washington, which walks through activities that can be completed at home or in the classroom. 

Learn more about Brain Awareness Week from its official coordinator, the Dana Foundation. Share your activities on social media using the hashtags #BrainWeek, #BrainAwarenessWeek, and #BAW2026. And follow and subscribe to the official Brain Awareness Week, BrainFacts, and the Dana Foundation accounts using the links below.

Brain Awareness Week accounts: Facebook and Instagram
BrainFacts: Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, X, and YouTube
Dana Foundation: Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, YouTube, and LinkedIn